Xenos

1. DESCRIPTION

The Xenos are a loosely affiliated terrorist organization opposed to any trade or other interaction with foreign entities.

2. HISTORY

This group was originally comprised of heavy manufacturing and mining workers within Colorado and Texas. Many of their ancestors also worked in the research station, which was a good employer for generations. But Liberty increasingly made money from its information technology licensing and Trade Lane associated monopolies rather than hard, manufactured goods. Over time most of the blue-collar workers became unemployed and were pushed to the economic fringe of Liberty society. As the Liberty rich moved to Colorado to escape the paradise lost in California, the Xenos were displaced to a small base in the mined out Silverton Asteroid Field. Once there the Xenos launched sporadic raids focused against foreign shippers.
Whenever they were captured they were sent to Huntsville prison in Texas, where cross-fertilization with other inmates only helped to swell their ranks. Xenos also hate the foreigner Outcasts that feed the habits of Liberty's morally corrupt rich. For this reason, most of those declared NCR for drug crimes are placed aboard the Sugarland to keep the two groups separate.
Because of the Xeno preference for other Houses' ships, Universal Shipping has actually benefited from the attacks and has lobbied the government to take it easy on them. It is rumored that some of their attacks on foreign shipping were not Xenos, but actually mercenaries hired by Universal to harass the competition.
There are two additional Xeno bases in the Independent Worlds systems of Hudson and Kepler. Here the Xenos have been able to operate more freely, with only occasional Liberty Navy patrols and Bounty Hunters to secure the areas. They make hit-and-run attacks into Texas frequently, especially to attack the Junkers base at Beaumont and confront Outcasts.
The Xenos are currently one of the poorest of all the criminal factions, so they have little resources to buy better ships and weapons. To gain a more stable income stream, they hope to evict the Junkers from Texas, and ultimately New York, and thus control a crucial market for Cardamine.
The Xenos' love of Side Arms has brought them into conflict with Ageira, especially around its Detroit Munitions plant. They also regularly attack Junkers in the Jersey Debris Field of northern New York.